This invention relates to floating apparatus for cleaning waterways.
Throughout the country there are numerous waterways, such as ponds, lakes and canals that are choked with weeds and other debris that make such waterways unsuitable for boating, fishing and the like. Various methods have been devised over the past years to eliminate these obstacles. For example, it is well known to utilize chemicals to attempt to eliminate weeds and the like from various waterways. However, the effect of such chemicals is usually to eliminate the weeds for a year or more, but cause their return in greater abundance in following years. The removal of other debris is usually done on an intermitent basis, such as the annual clean up and the like, which are known throughout the country. One type of device for mechanical cleaning waterways is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,887 which is a device for mounting on land near canals and the like and utilizing a mowing receptacle for cleaning the weeds and other growth. A similar device which is floatable and utilized as a turtlegrass harvester is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,156.
Many of these devices, both land based and water based, are found undesirable in that they do not provide sufficient mobility or they do not provide adequate means for removing the debris or weeds and placing them in a container or the like for removal from the waterway. Further, they do not usually provide for different instrumentalities such that other than weeds may be removed. Thus, there is presently a great need for an apparatus which can be used on the waterway to readily clean out weeds, debris and the like from the country's waterways, one which is readily movable over the waterways and one which will substantially eliminate the need for chemical treatment of such waterways.
It has recently been discovered that a floating apparatus can be provided equipped with an articulated boom which can be used to remove weeds and other debris from waterways in an efficient and economical manner.